This is why I don't write. Please ignore the second half of that last post. We have a new phone battery, so it's all good. However, we're currently searching for a good answering machine message. So, please submit you witty and/or hilarious (or, as Emily would pronounce it, hil-LAR-ious) ideas now.

Well, break is over. I'm sad to say that nothing terribly exciting happened. It was relaxing, but I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted. I got a lot of homework done (although, again, not as much as I wanted). But it was good to take a break from classes and enjoy being on campus (almost alone) without feeling completely frazzled.

Speaking of frazzled, our electronics are all dying on us. First the CD player refused to recognize we had 3 perfectly good CDs in it for over a day. Luckily it finally came to its senses, but it's now skipping the last half of every song. Weird. Then our phone died. We figured out it was because the rechargable battery on the cordless phone finally gave out. So you can call and leave a message, but we can't pick up or use the phone. So if you feel like calling and listening to us explain our electronic woes and then leaving a happy message for us, we couldn't even stop you if we wanted to :)

It's the first full day of fall break. Nothing too terribly exciting has happened yet, but give it time my loyal readers. Emily and I are bound to break a rule or something sooner or later.

On a sadder note, my "shocking personality" is starting to get quite dangerous. Today I touched my computer after sliding off my bed. Apparently I gathered too much static electricity because I when I touched my laptop with my finger, I got quite a shock! It was a lot worse than normal, and when I examined my pinkie, I saw that I had split the skin (kinda like a papercut, but a lot deeper). So be careful about using the computer while wearing fuzzy sweaters kids!

[survey]

[my name is]: Erin, Skippy, Sassy, etc.
[in the morning i am]: usually incoherent
[love is]: hard work, scary, and wonderful all at once
[i dream about]: my future

-W I T H .T H E. O P P O S I T E. S E X-
[what do you notice first?]: eyes
[last person u slow danced with]: hmm…with the opposite sex? It’s been far too long

-W H O-
[do you have a crush on?]: Jay *giggle*
[is easiest to talk to]: Cassie and Malinda

-H A V E .Y O U .E V E R-
[fallen for your best friend]: I don’t really believe in best friends, but if I had one, it’d probably be a girl, so no
[been in love]: yup

-W H O .W A S .T H E .L A S T. P E R S O N-
[you talked to on the phone]: Skippy
[hugged]: hmm…Malinda I think
[you instant messaged]: Jay
[you laughed with]: Skippy
-D O .Y O U / / A R E .Y O U-
[could you live without the computer?]: I doubt it…sad, but true
[what's your favorite food?]: the edible kind
[whats ur favorite fruit?]: strawberries
[what hurts the most? physical pain or emotional pain?]: emotional
[trust others way too easily?]: probably

-N U M B E R-
[of times i have had my heart broken? ]: once was enough for me
[of hearts i have broken?]: one or two…I dunno, not something you really discuss after the fact
[of girls i have kissed?] : zero and proud of it
[of tight friends?] : just the right number
[of cd's that i own?] : I think around 100
[of scars on my body?] : lots from chicken pox…and one when the waffle iron at school bit me!
[of things in my past that i regret?] :this is getting sad…I tend to think about the future, not the past

O.T.H.E.R.T.H.I.N.G.S.-
[i know]: too much for my own good
[i want]: to travel
[i have]: way too much homework
[i wish]: I could take away other people’s sadness
[i hate]: being away from people I care about
[i miss]: being a kid
[i fear]: failure
[i hear]: crazy sorority girls screaming
[i love]: my family
[i care]: about the little things in life
[i always]: umm…fill out long surveys
[i dance]: even though I’m no good :)
[i cry]: sometimes too much, sometimes not enough
[i write]: obsessively
[i confuse]: myself
[i can usually be found]: on IM
[i need]: to wake up

-Concerning.The.Friends.(You.Claim.To.Have)-

[wish you saw more often]: Jay
[most sarcastic]: Skippy
[knows you best]: hard to say…I dunno if I even know me that well
[most entertaining]: Cassie
[love to be around]: my gang back at home!
[nicest]: JamieSue
[gives the best advice]: Malinda
[you are with most often]: Skippy & Malinda

-Self-Analysis.You.Probably.Don't.Want.To.Do-
[your best feature (personality)]: loyal friend, good balance of craziness and sanity
[most annoying thing you do]: I twirl my hair and mumble A LOT
[biggest mistake you've made this far]: not listening to my instinct, advice of wise friends, or God
[describe your personality in one word]: splendiferous (*shrug*)
[the physical ]: my eyes
[most complimented]: everyone is obsessed with my hair…I think it’s the only thing that keeps me from shaving it off some days
[height]: 5’4”
[a smell that makes you smile]: lilacs and curve for men :)
[a city you'd like to visit]: Oxford
[a drink you order most often]: Mnt Dew & Raspberry Sublime
[a delicious dessert]: cherry cheesecake
[a book you highly recommend]: Lord of the Rings
[the music you prefer while alone]: all that coffeehouse music like Caedmon’s Call & Jars of Clay
[last song you downloaded]: “This Diary” by the Ataris
[a film you could watch over and over]: 10 Things I Hate About You
[a TV show you watch regularly]: CSI
[you live in a(n)]: dorm room
[your transportation]: ’96 Toyota Corolla
[under your bed or in your closet you hide]: my shoes

Due to the fact that it has been midterms over the past ten days or so, I haven't had the time to update. So all my witty lines, hilarious stories, and interesting insights have all escaped me. My deepest apologies.

Last Thursday was just wow. I don't think there's any other way to describe it. The day started off with a chapel message from none other than Reese Roper. That night we got to hear FIF for the last time. *tear* I didn't really pay attention to the first act, but Emily and I were in the middle of a pretty violent mosh pit for Holland and Bleach. I lost my flip flops a couple times. I know what you're all thinking...Grovers mosh?! But it's true! A bunch of us decided we wanted to enjoy FIF and not fight for our lives through the last concert, so we moved into the side. Now I'll admit this probably wasn't a very exciting concert for the non-diehard FIF fans. The acoustics in our IM room were absolutely horrible and FIF played for an hour and a half. But for people like Katie and I, it was super! They played almost all of their songs it seemed like, throwing in any leftovers into a big medley. There was a lot of old stuff, which was great. Lots of skanking and a good time was had by all. It was a bittersweet ending as this is really the end of an era. *sniffle*

Last weekend was the absolute best weekend I've had here this semester, if not so far. For once I could afford to not do homework (which is a near impossibility at this school...at least with my majors). And I needed the break too, because midterms week left me totally burnt out. Friday night, Malinda and I watched LOTR (since she had never seen it). Saturday, Malinda, Emily and I all went shopping at the outlets and enjoyed the great weather. We saw "Pirates of the Caribbean" for $1 here and I spent most of Sunday just relaxing and enjoying some long phone calls with my parents and Jay. :)

This week has been much less stressful. I only had to read three books for this week. ...That's pretty sad that I consider reading three books in four days to be not bad. I'm sure I've done more reading at college than the whole rest of my life total. I've gotten to watch about half of the Sox/Yankees games so far and can't wait to watch the Sox kick some NY butt tonight! We live on an exciting hall here. There is a prank war between my RD and her roommate and the two girls living across the hall from me. A couple weeks ago, my RD and her roomie stole all the clothes from the two girls across the hall, put them in trash bags, and hid them throughout campus. This week, I came back one night to find the bathroom transformed. My RD's two sofa chairs were sitting next to the sinks along with their coffee table, assorted pumpkins sat on top of the toilet paper dispensers, and their mattresses were in our bathtubs. No one really uses the tubs...we all take showers...but that's still nasty to think about. Emily and I have decided to not get on our RD's bad side and enjoy the prank wars from a distance.

Yesterday I spent over an hour in one of the practice rooms playing the piano. It felt so good. There's something about sitting in front of a piano letting your hands create music that is more comforting than anything else I know. I think I feel most at home in front of the piano. It's easy to let go of worry, pain, stress, and self-consciousness and feel most like me when I'm playing. I miss the piano--I really should play more often.

And in a world news update, today marks Day 40 of the Erin's Health Hostage Situation. There appeared to be no resolve to the restoration of health in the regions of Erin's sinuses, but it appears as though the militant virus forces have finally been broken down by repeated attacks from varying drug forces throughout the weeks. We are all hoping for a decisive victory sometime in the near future. We will bring you further updates as developments arise.

I'm trying to be better about updating. Not because I suddenly have more exciting things to write about; mainly because it keeps you all appeased and then you're not bugging me.

So I'm still sick. I don't think I'll ever get better, but I'm kinda attached to my cold now. I finally went to Zerbe and got put on real drugs (aka antibiotics). So now I'm downing 10 pills a day. Nick asked if he licked my arm if it'd be the same effect as those hallucinogenic frogs. I don't think it'd work and I'm not about to go letting friends lick my arms to find out.

Jay and I have been "going out" (or whatever you kids call it these days) for two months now. Long distance relationships are hard, but it's definitely worth it. :)

This week is midterms here at the Grove. Today I had 3 quizzes and a test. I have another test on Thursday and a speech to give on Friday. On top of all this I need to fill out my student teaching application and 3 different background/security/child abuse/FBI/whatever clearance forms. I can't believe I'll be student teaching this time next year. That's just crazy!

Speaking of crazy-go-nuts bands, FIF is playing here Thursday night! It's going to be a long concert because they have 3 opening acts. Some of Emily's friends from home are coming to see it too, so that'll be fun. I am so way beyond excited! You can be sure I'll be posting about that over the weekend.

Well kiddos, that is it. Not much else to say. Thank you for reading. Have a nice day. Buh-bye now.

October 2. It snowed today. I was walking from breakfast to class and there was snow in my hair. I wanted to cry. I only got two days of fall. I feel gypped. I want my money back.